Machine for washing dishes



April 3, 1928.

S. A. KRAFT ET AL MACHINE FOR WASHING DISHES Filed Nov. 19. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VENTOBS. W.W MET-flaw! Br 4920M a. M

HTTOENEK S. A. KRAFT ET AL MACHINE FOR WASHING- DISHES F'zled Nov 19. 92 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 3, 1928.

INVENTORY:

ATTORNEX Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,664,690 PATENT OFFICE.

SELMER A. KRAFT, OF ST. PAUL, AND SAMUEL '1. SHEPZPARD, OF MANKATO, MINNESOTA.

MACHINE FOR WASHING DISHES.

Application filed November 19, 1926. Serial No. 149,308.

Our invention relates to dish washing machines and the main obj cct is to provide a highly efficient, economical, portable device of said kind, and which may be manufactured as a complete device or as an accessory for clothes washing machines of'the type having 'an upright cylindrical tub and a central drive shaft within the tub. A further object is to improt'e on the Patent No. 1,584,043 of May 11, 1926 to S. T. Sheppard, one of the joint inventors in this application for patent. Other objects will hereinafter be set forth reference'being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top view of our improved dish washing machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 the upper part being in diametrical section to reveal certain details.

F ig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view about as on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing mainly the water spreading element and adjacentcentral parts of the device.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail of a preferred type of water outlet valve and adjacent parts.

Fig. 5 is an approximately full size side elevation, partly in section, of a preferred type of water outlet device operated by a pull cord.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the dish washing apparatus in operative position.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged diametrical sectional elevation of the central parts in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, 10 designates a preferably cylindrical vertical housing or tub having a bottom 10 and supported above a floor 11 by suitable legs 12. This tub may be considered a part of our device or it may be a part of a clothes washing machine of the type in which is mounted a vertical central shaft 13 on which are removably fixed suitable clothes and water agitating means (not shown). 14 is an electric motor fixed adjacent or to the under side of the tub and having suitable connection such as a chain 15 and driven gear 16 which latter in turn imparts rotary motion to shaft 13 by means not shown but readily provided for by suitable bevel or worm gears or the like. i

17 is the main receptacle of our device. in the form of a shallow'tray of funnel shape with vertical perimetral wall 17 having a circular projecting rim or rib 18 on which the receptacle is supported on the top of the housing 10 (see Fig. 2). The receptacle has also a topbead 19 adapted to be enga ed by an enlargement or ring 20 of a sulta le cover 20 for the receptacle. a

21 is a circular casting formed to support and be attached to the central and under side of the receptacle bottom and has an upright extension 21 bored for an upper drive shaft 22 removably keyed with its lower end to the splined upper end 13 of the drive shaft 13 within a bearing 23 mounted centrally in tub 10. 'The upper end of shaft 22 is preferably formed polygonal as at 22 to receive a water-spreading head 24 presently to be described.

The receptacle 17 will hereinafter be designated as the tray for convenience of description. The tray is adapted to retain a quantity of water, as to level 25 in Fig. 7, which water is raised by suction and forced outward radially by rotation of head 24 and into contact with dishes placed in racks between said head and the rim of the tray, the water gravitating on the sloping bottom of the tray toward its center and thence sucked upwardly and spread again as will now be described in detail.

The water head 24 comprises preferably a cast hollow body of four-arm star shape in horizontal section (see Fi 3) having a central upright hub 24 with a downwardly opening bore. The upper end of said bore is polygonal to conform to the shape of the end 22 of shaft 22 to be retained thereby with the said hub loosely encircling bearing member 21. 26 are radial webs from the hub 24 and connecting it With the lines of convergence of the walls of the head (see Fig. 3).. The tops of the arms of the head are preferably on a common horizontal plane and spaced above the hub 24 while the lower part of each said arm inclines upwardly from the center the extremity of each said arm thus having a vertical edge 27 in each of which is provided an elongated ver tical slot 28 communicating with the hollow interior of the head.

The lower end of the water head comprises an integral cylindrical extension 29 the lower end of which is spaced above the bottom 17 of the tray and submerged when there is water in the tray. The upper end of this cylinder communicates at 29 directly with the lower central interior of the head proper.- is a cylindrical screen arranged concentric and outwardly of said cylinder 29, the lower edge of said screen adapted to rest directly on the bottom 17, as in Fig. 2, or be connected to the inner edge of a horizontal screen 31, as in Fig. 7, the latter comprising the base of a wire guard or cage 32 of circular conformation and concentric about the head 24 for a purpose presently to be described. In Fig. 2 the cage 32 is independent of the screen.

33 is a downward integral extension of bottom plate 21 and through the center of which is an aperture 34 for draining water from the tray. The lower edge of the extension 33 is rounded and the aperture therein is normally closed by an oscillatable Valve casting 40 with a curved flange 4O which shuts off the water, the casting being pivoted as at 35 and its flange having an outlet 36 to which a flexible hose 37 is at tached. 38 is a cord about the outlet 36 and extended to the outside of the tub where it is accessible as at 39. By pulling on cord 38 the valve casting 40 is swung upward to align the openings, as in dotted position in Fig. 2, and the water in the tray is readily drained through hose 37 which carries a metallic outlet member 41 at its lower end,

the latter adapted to be inserted in a valve seat 42 of an outlet housing 43 on the bottom of the tub. 44 is a vertically reciprocable valve closing plu adapted to fit in seat 42 when the hose 37 is not in use. 4O is a retraction spring for the valve.

45 is a wire dish and utensil-holding frame of circular form and made preferably in quarter. sections, one such section being shown in Fig. 6 and two shown in Fig. 2. These frame sections comprise each a series of radially spaced arched wires 45 concentric of the tray and each frame section adapted to be laid on the tray bottom externally of cage 32 andextending to the perimeter of the tray. 'The arched wires are connected by suitable radial fr me wires 45 Dishes of various kinds such as saucers, plates, bowls, etc., designated 46 in Fig. 6, are placed in the frame about as shown. Utensils not so brittle as chinaware may be laid on the bottom of the tray as at 46 to the left in Fig. 6, no frame 45 being needed to put them in.

47 is a single wire yoke of inverted U- shape adapted to frictionally engage and straddle the hub 24 of the water head and its lower ends secured to a washer 48 encircling the hub. 49 is a vertical pin slidable in a bore in the top of hub 24 and accessible above head 24. The yoke 47 engages this pin as at 50. By grasping pin 49 and pulling up as to the dotted position in Fig. 7, the yoke raises washer 48 to position 48 (Fig. 7) and the water intake opening-at the lower end of head 24 is closed for a purpose to be described. 51 is a spring pressed pin in the upper end of hub 2.4 adapted to frictionally engage and hold pin 49 at any elevation.

In the use of our device the tray 17 is first put in place in the top part of tub 10, then screen 30 or 30-31 with cage 32 put down concentrically on the tray bottom. Then the water head 24 is secured-on the top end of shaft 22. After this the dish holding frames 45, as many as desired, are

put in place and dishes to be washed are set up in the racks or frames 45 or on the tray bottom as previously described. Then a sufficient supply of hot water is pourul in preferably to a level not higher than the top of screen 30. Soap, powder or any other cleansing element may be used in the water. Then cover 20 is properly placed on top of the tray and the power is turned on to rotate shaft 22. Assuming that the yoke 47 is down it is readily understood that the water rises to its natural level within cylin- (101 29 of head 24. Immediately when the head 24 begins to rotate the air within it tends to be blown out of slots 28 creating a partial vacuum within the head which raises the water in cylinder 29. The rising water is immediately caught by the inside walls of the head and the centrifugal action of the a head causes it to be expelled with considerable force from the head through the slits 28. There is thus created four sheets of swirling radially impelled water from thefour slits 28, said water being thrown with considerable force toward the outer edge of the tray. This swirling waterwashes the dishes in its path and aconsiderable volume of it is thrown back toward the center or downwardly by the outer rim of the tray and the cover 20 and the dishes are thus thoroughly washed. After losing its veloci'ty the water of course runs down the sloping bottom of the tray and circulates through screens 30-31 and is drawn upwardly again through the water head, it being readily understood that crumbs or any particles washed loose from the dishes will lodge on said screen. The circulation of the wash water, just described, keeps up as long as the rotary water head rotates. After 1. In a dish washing machine the combination with a cylindrical tub supported in spaced relation to a floor and having a motor, a vertical central main shaft in the tub and operative connection between said motor for rotating said shaft;. of an auxiliary shaft ali-ned with said main shaft and detachably keyed thereto, a tray with a funnel shaped bottom and a bearing for said auxiliary shaft fixed in the center thereof, said tray adapted to be removably suspended from the top edge of the tub, a rotatable hollow water spreading head removably attached to the said auxiliary shaft and having vertical outlet slits for expelling water, a removable cover for said tray and arranged over said head, a cylindrical wire cage adapted to be placed on the bottom of the tray and about said water, head and a screen within said cage, said head having a downwardly opening cylindrical lower end communicating with its interior and normally submer ed in water in the tray, said tray provi ed with an outlet pipe and valve means in same, and a sectional utensil holdin frame adapted to be laid on the sloping bottom of the tray intermediate said wire cage and the perimeter of the tray.- '1

2. The structure specified in claim 1 and a vertically movable yoke slidably straddling the hub of said water head, "a washer attached to the lower ends of said oke and normally in spaced relation below t e end of the cylindrical end of the head and adapted to close said end of the cylinder when the washer is raised by the" yoke to shut off cirpulation of water through the hollow water lead.

3. The structure specified in claim 1 in which said auxiliary shaft projects upwardly above said central bearing of the tray said projecting end of the shaft being polygonal, said water head having a like shaped bore adapted to engage the polygonal shaft end to be rotated thereby.

4. The structure specified in claim 1 in which said screen member is concentric of the auxiliary shaft and adjacent the lower central portion of the tray, the upper edge of said screen being normally at an elevation higher than the surface of the water in the tray.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

SELMER A. KRAFT. SAMUEL T. SHEPPARD. 

